Icing on the Cake
by KeytoDestiny
Summary: "Sea-salt ice cream wasn't the best icing on the cake." Kenny smiled, matching the one that was lit up on Dawn's face. "Of course it wasn't."


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**x~**... **Icing on the Cake** ...**~x**

"_Sea-salt ice-cream wasn't the best icing on the cake." Kenny smiled, matching the one that was lit up on Dawn's face. "Of course it wasn't."_

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pokemon... or Kingdom Hearts. :'D

So in the last week before Kenny Day I realized I there was no way to update with chapter 3 of _By Your Side._ So I last minute thought of an oneshot I could write, and here it is. It is considerably shorter than what I usually write, and that's probably because I wrote this in the span of two days. I regret not starting it earlier... but oh well.

I know this fanfic is rushed, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyways.

When I get some inspiration and motivation... I'll do my best to make it less rushed.

This story is inspired by Kingdom Hearts. If you know the game, try to find all the references! They're everywhere.

_**Happy Kenny Day!**_

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"Ahh~! The ocean breeze feels so nice!" Dawn let herself fall back onto the warm, soft white sand. She could hear the waves crashing onto the shore in a gentle lullaby. For sure, the sea's song was clear, for she had chosen a more secluded spot on the beach. To add to that, it was noon, when the sun was at its highest and blazing.

Dawn was in her yellow and orange swimsuit to be at her most comfortable at the Olivine Beach. She styled her long, navy blue hair into a bun with some of her bangs let loose in thin wisps of hair, and she smoothed some sunscreen over herself to protect her skin from the sun. She was all prepared, ready to take the day off after this morning's Pokemon contest.

Dawn closed her eyes and focused on the sun's scorching rays heating her skin. The smell of sea salt was strong in the air.

It was near summer time now, almost time for the Grand Festival. It had been quite a while since she began traveling alone in Johto, and so she wondered how the others were doing. She sure missed them.

Dawn had to admit, it was a lot lonelier with just herself and her Pokemon. Of course, she was still happy. Piplup, Buneary, Pachirisu, Mamoswine, Cyndaquil, and Togekiss were her wonderful friends. But it still felt slightly empty not to speak with anyone in human language. Even Team Rocket was there to drop in randomly occasionally, but they were gone too, probably following Ash, Brock, and Pikachu in the new region he was traveling.

As for herself, Dawn and Piplup had arrived to the Olivine City Pokemon Contest this morning to earn her fourth ribbon, and she went up against none other than Kenny in the finals. Unfortunately, she lost, but she didn't let that bother her. It was just one contest, and they would just have to work harder and win the next contest.

Olivine City was so incredibly tranquil though... she would have to come back tomorrow with the others after they've gotten their rest in the Pokemon Center. At least for now, it was nice to get time alone for some well-deserved rest.

But then again, perhaps it would have been more relaxing to have someone with her right now. To be honest, Dawn was a bit disappointed. She had hoped to be able to catch up with Kenny, as she hadn't seen him since when they first arrived in Johto. They hadn't talked since then, and it was disheartening since they were so close. She was actually planning to find him after the contest was over, but seeing how tired her Pokemon were, she decided to find him later and go to the Pokemon Center first.

A faint breath escaped Dawn's lips. She and Kenny used to talk all the time in Twinleaf, being the best of friends. Now it was just like they were simply rivals, and nothing more. Somehow it felt like they were drifting apart. It wasn't a very encouraging thought.

A cool, pleasant breeze drifted by, causing the wisps of her loose cobalt hair to caress her face gently. Dawn smiled and sighed contently. Any thought that previously occupied her mind left, only letting the sunlight sink in with its warmth.

It was suddenly cool, for a shadow blocked Dawn from the sun's rays. She was a bit annoyed. Just when she was finally easing up, there had to be an interruption.

Dawn opened her eyes with aggravation in order to discover the cause, only to meet solid, onyx staring right back at her. "Heya, DeeDee!" Surprised, Dawn released a small shriek.

Her body shot up jerkily, twisting around to glare at the laughing boy dressed in emerald green swimming shorts before her. "Kenny..." she growled threateningly. But her anger quickly simmered down upon seeing Kenny's earnest, innocent smile and contagious chuckle. She was just thinking about missing him, so who was she to complain?

"Sorry, DeeDee. Seeing you there so peaceful, I just had to."

"Thanks," she replied sarcastically, but a grin was there to show her playfulness.

Dawn peered around. "Where are your Pokemon?"

"Pokemon Center. What about yours?"

"Same. They're exhausted from traveling and the contest. Piplup actually refused, but I told him to rest," she laughed, recalling Piplup's cries of protest.

Kenny flopped down to sit beside his childhood friend, watching her as her giggles died down. His eyes sparkled as she turned to face him.

"Hey Kenny, you know what?"

"What?" He tried to hold in a giggle after looking at Dawn's eager eyes. They were just like those of children whom were excited for Christmas.

"This morning, while heading over to the Contest Hall, I saw an ice cream stand. Since summer is coming, it's starting to get really hot of course, so I thought maybe I should get one. There's a specialty in Olivine City called sea-salt ice cream. I really, really wanted to try one, but we had to hurry to the contest!" she exclaimed.

"I'll treat you to some later, then," Kenny offered cheerfully. Dawn smiled cheekily.

"Oh, and Kenny?" Kenny tilted his head, signaling that he was listening. She opened her mouth, and then closed it again. Hesitance was etched across her beautiful face as it cast its gaze downwards. Her eyes suddenly closed, a content and tired smile forming soon after. They opened once again, though this time the light-heartedness replaced the serious.

"I bet I could swim faster than you."

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Two hours later, the two friends were on the beach again, under some palm trees where they were shaded from the afternoon sun.

Kenny was spread out on the sand, taking heavy pants as he wiped the sea water off his face. Dawn was sitting beside him, concentrating on wringing the water out of her hair. Though panting as well, it wasn't as harsh as Kenny's.

"I... so... won..." Kenny claimed conceitedly.

Dawn snorted. "You wish. I made you look like an amateur." Kenny stuck his tongue out.

When all was calm again, the pair both sat side by side, looking out at the ocean in a comfortable silence.

The ocean sparkled from the sun's rays, glistening and shining in a glorious sapphire. The waves washed up onto the shore, wetting the sand and rising up to trickle between their toes gently. The ocean water was smooth and soothing.

"Kenny," Dawn whispered softly, without breaking her gaze, "I've missed you."

Kenny's head slowly turned to Dawn's, before returning his attention to the sea.

"I've missed you, too."

Dawn gave a small, sad smile.

She was suddenly aware of how desolate she felt right then and there. There was an empty void in her heart that she just couldn't fulfill. She wasn't even sure what was wrong! Her Pokemon were there for her... and Ash, Brock, Pikachu, and May even checked in once a while to chat and catch up on things. Somehow it just wasn't enough.

"You're crying," Kenny stated worriedly. Dawn started, her hands daintily reaching up and touching her cheek. There were tears.

Kenny drew his eyebrows up worriedly, concerned. "Is something the matter?"

Dawn shook her head. She tucked her legs in so that her legs could encircle them, and her head could rest on her knees.

"Just feel kinda lonely, that's all," she simply said. Kenny smiled.

"Well, I'm here right now, DeeDee. No need to worry, right?"

"No need to worry," she repeated with a grin.

As a moment of solitude fell again, Dawn furrowed her eyebrows, as if in deep thought. "Kenny..." she started off, "why is it that you keep calling me DeeDee?"

Dawn had asked this question before, but every time Kenny had shrugged it off, and Dawn had just let it go and didn't give a second thought about it. But she wanted to know why now. After not hearing it for a few months, after not seeing him for so long, it seemed to catch her attention more closely now. Of course it was a childhood nickname, but somehow she felt it was more that.

Her eyes bore seriously into his. When he stared right back into those cobalt blue depths, he realized this wasn't like the other times she asked the very same question. She wanted the truth this time, the real answer.

He couldn't do that though.

"Because," Kenny tried his best to sound nonchalant and come off jokingly, "I want to see you get worked up over it. It's kinda my job, ya know."

Dawn looked away, her heart sinking in disappointment. Couldn't he take just one single question seriously? "Just when I thought we could talk for once, you say something like that. I'm serious, Kenny." Her voice was firm and on the edge.

Kenny dug his hand into the sand. He closed it tightly into a fist, then released it again. "Sorry, Dawn," he stated evenly.

Right then, her feelings erupted in a rage. She stood up quickly pierced a look of pure fury at her childhood friend. _"Why can't you just be honest with me?" _Though her voice was merely a whisper, the contempt was clear and powerful.

Tears resurfaced in Dawn's eyes again, but this time of indignation and distress. She wiped them away with her arm hastily. Without looking back, Dawn turned away to leave.

By now, Kenny was on his feet as well. "Where are you going?" he asked worriedly.

"Back to the Pokemon Center."

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Behind her, Dawn heard the door to her room open quietly. Though she didn't make any movement to acknowledge him, she knew who it was.

"Dawn," Kenny reached out softly. She was sitting in a chair, surveying the ocean from the sole window within the comfy room, her cheeks resting in the palms of her hands and body slightly forward.

When she did not respond, Kenny turned his vision downwards for a few moments, but shot right back up with more confidence. "If you're willing to push that earlier incident aside, I'll be waiting at the entrance of Glitter Lighthouse."

Without another word, Kenny turned on his heel, pushed the door open and shut it tenderly with a click. It wasn't until when Kenny's light, retreating steps gradually faded, and finally when they were undetectable, that Dawn lifted her head to stare at the wooden door where Kenny had just moments ago.

Placidly, she turned her profound gaze back out the window.

The sky was painted a pallet of vermillion, orange, and amber. The tips, where it extended out to no certain point, was tinged with a soft lavender and indigo.

A soothing breeze carried the fresh aroma of sea salt once again; it felt as if Dawn could taste it on her tongue. Somehow, it felt bittersweet, to see the sun setting with sea salt in the air. She wasn't sure why, but it reminded her of the bond Dawn and Kenny shared.

Dawn took in the glorious scene before her once more before she stood up and followed Kenny's footsteps.

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Kenny rose to his feet when he spotted Dawn's figure in the distance. When she finally reached him, clad in her usual attire like Kenny was, she nodded to indicate for Kenny to lead. He gave a subtle smile, and walked into the lighthouse, Dawn following behind him.

She eyed his backpack, curious as to why he needed to bring it. But she didn't question him as they climbed up the long, winding solid concrete staircase. Upon reaching the designated floor, Kenny led her out to a giant, open space that curved around the Olivine lighthouse.

Dawn's eyes widened in pure awe, as they were high above Olivine City and could see practically the whole Johto region. The sky was open to them, the sunset seemed closer, the colors more vibrant and tangible. It was slightly colder at this height, but the close-to-summer heat was still incredibly sweltering, full of warmth and incandescent light from the setting sun.

"Wow..." she breathed, incredulous at what was before her.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Kenny remarked. Dawn nodded absently as she continued to take everything in.

Kenny strode over to the end of the balcony and headed over to the middle, where it directly faced the sunset. A high, protective railing of cement stretched around the whole platform, ensuring every person's safety. He placed his backpack onto it, then proceeded with stepping onto the railing and sitting on it, legs hanging over freely. The railing was wide enough for a person to sit on it with absolutely no fear of falling, so Kenny had no need to worry.

"Dawn," he called softly. She cast her eyes to her childhood friend, who was patting the spot to his right. Dawn stepped over to Kenny, and pushed herself up on the railing, sitting just as Kenny was.

Both were staring into their laps uncomfortably, a sense of awkwardness evident in the air. Kenny sighed dejectedly.

"I'm sorry for not telling you the truth. It's just... I didn't really want to say it. But if wanting that is going to keep you mad at me like this, I'll tell you."

Dawn shook her head leisurely. "No, I shouldn't have gotten mad at you or pushed you at all. I think... I think my loneliness has just gotten the best of me."

He looked at her. "You said that earlier today. But you don't have to be lonely. You've got your Pokemon, and you've got me, too."

"I know. But it feels like... we're kinda drifting apart. We haven't talked in a long time, and I guess I just got upset when you didn't take me seriously with the question I asked." A heavy load was lifted off her shoulders, as the remorse within her was relieved a great extent. She turned to meet his stare.

"I'm sorry," he said again.

"You've been saying that way too much, Kenny," she teased with a coy smirk.

"Well, I am! It's kinda my fault, I mean, this is your first time traveling with just your Pokemon. I remember back when I was feeling lonely with just me and my Pokemon, too," he argued.

"Then you can say it's my fault too, for not being there for you in the beginning of your journey," she shot back. Dawn paused, and started giggling. Kenny cocked his head and raised an eyebrow, obviously confused at Dawn's sudden bubbly outburst.

"What?" he inquired.

"It's just that we're always arguing," she laughed more, and Kenny joined in. She didn't feel alone anymore. She was wrong – they were just as close as before. Nothing had changed – and nothing ever will.

When the laughter died down, and things were back to normal again, Kenny spoke up, "I got something for the two of us." He ruffled into his bag on his left, finally pulling out two teal-colored popsicles.

Kenny had a wide, joyful smile stretched on his face.

"Sea-salt ice cream!" Dawn cried, excited. He handed her one of the ice creams, which she received gratefully with an enthusiastic 'thank you.'

Dawn was just about to stick it into her mouth to try it for the very first time, but then a thought stuck her. "Wouldn't they have melted by now?" she asked.

"I kept them in the case to preserve the coldness a while longer," he explained.

"But how did you know I was going to come here?"

"I didn't," he beamed. "I hoped."

Dawn smiled. "Did you try the sea-salt ice cream before me?"

"Nope, it wouldn't be right to have ice cream without you. Ice cream should always be eaten with someone close to you!"

"Very true," Dawn chuckled. "So, before I start eating, I wanna say I'm sorry again. I'll do my best not to get mad like that ever again. I won't push you on answering my question."

Kenny's face was thoughtful for a few minutes, before he said, "Nah, I don't mind. After thinking about it, I realized it doesn't really matter," he grinned. Though he was still sheepish, he wanted to tell her now. "They say that when two people fight, they really care about each other."

"So, that's why? Just because you care?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah. It's kind of embarrassing, which were one of the reasons why I didn't want to tell you in the first place." Kenny ruffled his hair, a smidgen of pink blush appeared on his cheeks. "Calling you DeeDee just feels right, it makes me feel special to you because I'm the only one who can call you that. Me and me alone."

_And that makes all the difference, because I want to be your number one someday... _

Kenny's eyes had such a fondness that Dawn couldn't help but soften her gaze with the same look.

"Thanks. You're a really special person to me, regardless if you call me DeeDee or not. And you have my permission to call me that," Kenny began to laugh, "but that won't stop me from scolding you."

"If you did, that would take all the fun away!" he cried, still laughing.

Dawn and Kenny bit into the popsicle, the cold frost tingling their senses and sending a shiver down their bodies.

"It's salty..." Dawn said slowly, "but sweet!"

"Yeah, it is!" Kenny agreed. "And it tastes great!" Dawn nodded eagerly as she shoved the sweet treat into her mouth once again.

"I figure that our bond is kinda like sea-salt ice cream," Kenny observed.

"How do you figure that?"

"Well, it's kinda bittersweet. I mean, sea-salt ice cream is salty and sweet, but the two are opposites and conflict each other, even though they're combined together into one flavor. So it's still bittersweet, in a way," he explained. "We're always arguing and fighting, but it always turns okay in the end. We're always still together."

"Yeah, I suppose so..." Dawn's eyes glittered as they reflected the warm colors of the sky, "it really is bittersweet. But..." she caught the scent of the sea salt once again, "it's always more sweet than bitter."

The pair continued to converse about things, some that have no sense, some that are deeper. But nonetheless, each word was meaningful to the other, as such when two people are as close as them.

"Hey, Dawn! Bet you don't know why the sun sets red! You see, light is made up of lots of colors. And out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest," Kenny declared smugly, a cocky smirk marked on his face as he waited eagerly for her reaction.

"Like I asked! Know-it-all!" Dawn lightly pushed Kenny in the arm playfully, giggling non-stop. The two laughed away, the sound as warm as the setting sun, but as familiar as the sun rising.

Dawn closed her eyes to let the wind lift her spirits, her hope. She felt like she could just take off and fly.

"Can we come here tomorrow? With all the other Pokemon? We could go to the beach like we did today to play, then come to Glitter Lighthouse and watch the sunset while eating sea-salt ice cream again."

"Of course, the Pokemon will love it!" Dawn couldn't wait to be here with all her friends – and with Kenny. It felt so nice to be with him again, doing the things best friends did.

Best friends... Dawn smiled. She had used the term many times, though this time it felt a little different. It felt like there was something more to it beyond deep, cherished friendships.

"Sea-salt ice cream... it's the icing on the cake," Kenny said as he ruffled his chestnut-colored tresses out of habit.

"Icing on the cake?"

"Yeah– icing on the cake. It's kinda like an extra something good to another thing that was already good. In this case, I guess you can say that after what's happened today, it's the icing on the cake." Kenny's eyes looked up, trying to recall the day's events. "Let's see... I won my fourth ribbon against you, we had some fun where I beat you in swimming–" –Dawn snorted– "we got into a fight, but then we came here and made up, and we've got the sunset. And, finally, sea-salt ice cream, which is the icing on the cake!"

Dawn watched as Kenny took another satisfying crunch into his popsicle, enjoying the salty and sweet taste. She followed suit, tasting that of which resembled the sea salt. Kenny's breath was cold when he let out a content sigh. "It's the best icing on the cake!"

The two finished their sea-salt ice creams, and checked their popsicle sticks to see if they had won. Dawn got a "Winner" stick, and to her delight, Kenny didn't. But he shrugged if off, throwing the thin wooden stick into the trash can. He told her he could trade the winner popsicle stick in for another free sea-salt ice cream.

"I'll give that one to you," she said, grinning.

As dusk claimed the sky, adding a dark, mystifying crimson to the already magnificent sky, Dawn and Kenny began walking back to the Pokemon Center, planning tomorrow's day with their Pokemon.

"Oh, Kenny?" Dawn stopped, just as they excited the lighthouse.

"Yeah?"

"Sea-salt ice-cream wasn't the best icing on the cake."

Kenny smiled, matching the one that was lit up on Dawn's face.

"Of course it wasn't."

_**The best icing on the cake – was each other.**_

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I hope you enjoyed_ Icing on the Cake!_ Just remember I'll be revising it more over the new few days, to make it the best it can be, so if you want come back to reread it if it was to your liking.

I'm also very sorry. As I've said, I'm aware it's rushed. That's why I'm going to be trying to fix it to be better.

Please review and tell me what you thought, I really love the feedback. I also very much appreciate comments on what I can improve on.

Dedicated to all Dawn lovers, Kenny lovers, and Penguinshippers in the world! And to all my reviewers! Thank you! 8D

_**Happy Kenny Day, everyone!**_

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